


A Kind of Glow of Something New

by dizzy



Series: Trip and Stumble [2]
Category: Glee RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-16
Updated: 2012-11-16
Packaged: 2017-11-18 19:10:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/564312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dizzy/pseuds/dizzy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Follows a few days after the one-shot Coffee with Ashley.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Kind of Glow of Something New

Dating Darren is kind of wonderful. 

Except that they haven’t actually _dated_. They text constantly but he’s only seen Darren twice since the hectic weekend, because Darren is literally the busiest person Chris has ever met. He’s got music lessons and acting lessons and voice lessons and singing gigs and theater rehearsals and apparently he makes time to go to class somewhere in the middle of everything else. 

The late night texts are nice, and the way Darren’s face lights up when they do manage to steal a few minutes is even nicer. But he’s definitely done more waiting on Darren than actually being with Darren. 

“This weekend,” Darren promises, dropping into the spot beside Chris in class. “This weekend, fuck everyone else.” 

“Please don’t,” Chris says, dryly. “That seems counterproductive.”

Darren laughs and leans over, catching Chris off guard with a quick kiss. “I love your sense of humor.” 

Chris blushes, pleased. The instructor comes in and soon they’re off, different pairs and groups of students performing their most recent improv assignments. Chris is working with Joey and Lauren, and neither his group nor Darren’s are set to perform today. 

Darren braces his palm flat on the ground just behind Chris and leans forward so Chris can feel the touch of his arm. He scoots in closer and they share a little smile, a little moment. Darren whispers, “You look so good today. I miss you.” 

His lips brush Chris’s ear and the physical reaction is startlingly quick and borderline humiliating. Chris shifts, wishing desperately his pants weren’t so tight. 

No one else is close enough to him to notice... except Darren. Who definitely notices. His eyes go wide and he moves in even closer this time. “Really?” 

“Shut up,” Chris hisses back, voice strangled. “I can’t help it.” 

“Shit, that’s hot. You’re so responsive.” Darren sits up a little straighter and the hand that was behind Chris comes to rest against his lower back, fingers tugging up at where his shirt is tucked in. Chris glares at him but Darren’s facing forward like he’s paying close attention to the group performing. 

And for the next thirty minutes, Chris silently undergoes what has to be the most fucked up combination of heaven and hell ever. Darren keeps his touches light and casual but just feeling fingers on his flesh and knowing who they belong to is enough to keep Chris hard the entire time. 

Darren stops about ten minutes before the class is over, like he thinks that’ll be enough time for Chris to cool down. 

It doesn’t work. 

*

Outside, they both linger. Darren has a rehearsal to get to and Chris has a study session with a group from his finance class. They need to be going in opposite directions but instead Darren keeps a grasp on his hand. “This sucks,” he admits. “Are you gonna make it to the dining hall for dinner?” 

Chris shakes his head. “I was just going to grab something to go. My study group planned to stay until seven.” 

“I’m giving a lesson from six until eight.” Darren frowns. “Damn. I wish I could blow it off, but I need the money.” 

“I can wait,” Chris decides. “I’ll eat later. Is your lesson on campus?” 

“Yeah. I can be there by 8:15. But you seriously don’t have to wait,” Darren tries to insist.

Chris shrugs. “I can study just as well in the lobby as I can my dorm. I don’t mind waiting. I want to see you.” 

The words are hard to force out. He’s still used to trying to play it cool, but the smile on Darren’s face when he says it makes it worth it. “Yeah?” Darren asks. “Okay, then. Good.”

“So I’ll see you then.” Chris squeezes Darren’s hand.

Darren isn’t satisfied with just that; he pulls Chris in for a kiss, not particularly caring that they’re in full view of anyone walking by. 

Chris is barely used to being kissed, much less kissed in public. He’s flustered when Darren lets him go. 

“Too much?” Darren asks, worry flickering across his face. “Sorry.” 

“No, don’t - don’t be sorry. I’ll get used to it.” He kisses Darren again just to prove it. 

*

“Ooh, there he is. Hey, Chris!” 

Chris and Darren aren’t the only ones eating late, apparently. 

He hears Meredith calling him over as soon as he walks to their normal spot and for a minute he wants to pretend to ignore her. Not only does he desperately want some time with Darren alone, but he also hasn’t talked to many of the group since getting together with Darren.

He doesn’t really know how much anyone knows, but he has a feeling he won’t get away unscathed. There had to have been talk after he left the club and then the rehearsal the next day, sneaking off with Darren for a couple of hours when it was done before Darren had to leave again. 

He steels himself for an inquisition and heads over to the half-full table. Joe and Jaime aren’t even eating, they just have textbooks spread around them. 

“You don’t look nearly laid enough,” Meredith says, studying him. “I thought you’d look more laid.”

Chris hides his face behind his hands. “Shut up!”

“Oh, he hasn’t gotten laid yet,” Joey says. “Trust me, I know, I’ve had to live in the same house as Darren vocally complaining about how he hasn’t had the chance for any alone time. Vocally. I swear I heard him writing a song about it at like two in the morning. An ode to how lonely his dick is, in between his phone going off with text messages.” 

Joey levels a stare at Chris, and Chris remembers that they actually have bunk beds. “Uh, sorry,” he mumbles. “About the text messages.”

“Just, for the love of God, please. Please. Don’t sext. Because nothing is more awkward than listening to him jerk it. Dude does not know the meaning of the word quiet.” 

“Please do not discuss my masturbatory habits with my new boyfriend.” Darren sits down beside Chris, not looking particularly bothered by the topic at hand on his own behalf, just sympathetic for Chris. 

Luckily for all of them, hearing Darren refer to him as _boyfriend_ is distracting enough to make Chris forget all about the conversation. He turns and grins goofily at Darren, who just grins back. “Hi.” 

“Hi.” Darren leans in and kisses him, brief but... wonderful. 

“Put a dollar in the PDA jar.” Brian, who is frowning hard at his laptop as he types something, even manages to throw in some commentary. 

“Put a dollar in the fuck you jar,” Darren cheerfully shoots back. 

“I’ll let Chris handle that for me,” Brian says. 

*

They don’t hang around long. By half past the hour Darren is nudging at him and glancing toward the door. Chris nods just a bit and he thinks they’re being sneaky but clearly they are not. There is some minor heckling at how quickly they’re eager to leave the group, but all done with smiles. 

Darren, in a charming move, takes Chris’s tray for him. It ends up being sort of a pointless gesture since he can’t balance two trays and his violin case and his backpack, so Chris carries the violin. 

Darren tries to take it back but Chris playfully refuses. “How else can I guarantee you aren’t going to disappear off to a lesson or a rehearsal?”

They step outside and the cold is a bitter shock. Chris still isn’t use to it. Snow crunches on the ground beneath their slowing footsteps. 

“I want to take you out on a date,” Darren says, fidgeting a bit nervously. “But I’m kind of an asshole and I think tonight I’d rather just go somewhere that we can be alone and make out, because all I can think about right now is kissing you and maybe getting to second base.” 

“Second base doesn’t mean quite as much with guys,” Chris points out, being purposefully obtuse because Darren is kind of adorable like this. 

“Uh, wrong. Chris, I think you could flash some ankle at me and it would get me going right now.” Darren looks him up and down with absolutely no filter on his lust. 

He also proves that Darren doesn’t even have to whip out the ankle to have that effect on Chris. He pointedly looks anywhere besides directly at Darren until he feels like he can without blushing. “My roommate might not be home,” Chris says. “He’s been out a lot this week.” 

“Yeah?” Darren gives him a hopeful look. “You wanna go hang out?” 

Finals are in a week and there are easily half a dozen things that Chris needs to be doing, but suddenly everything else seems like it can wait. 

*

Chris’s dorm is blessedly empty. He shuts and locks the door while Darren is putting his stuff down and by the time Chris can turn around Darren is on him, mouth solidly on Chris’s. He isn’t forceful but he makes his intent clear, reaching between them to help Chris out of his jacket without breaking the kiss. 

Making out with Darren is basically the best. He’s a good kisser and Chris hopes he’s holding his own. 

Darren doesn’t seem to be complaining so Chris takes the lead a little, stepping them back toward his bed. Darren catches on fast, grinning and murmuring his approval of this plan as he presses wet kisses to Chris’s chin and jaw. 

They spin around in a clever move by Darren and Chris hits the bed first. Then Darren is over him and it feels really, really nice. Chris sinks his fingers into Darren’s hair and lets himself lose the heavy grip that his nerves have on him. 

At least until he feels Darren’s hands tugging at his shirt. Chris breaks away and sits up, breathing heavily. 

“You okay?” Darren sounds a little out of breath himself. “Was that too much?” 

Chris looks at him - beautiful and concerned, with his soft red lips and big sweet eyes. He shakes his head and impulsively yanks his shirt off. Darren’s breaks into a huge grin and he leans back against the bed, motioning for Chris to come forward. 

He has no idea why he’s suddenly being so brazen but Chris crawls right into his lap. Kissing from this angle is different - Chris has to lean down a little. Darren’s hands are warm but a little scratchy stroking up and down over his back. “God, Chris,” Darren groans, pulling away from the kiss to let his mouth wander down... over Chris’s jaw, over his neck, nipping at his collarbone. 

Chris’s hips jerk forward at the touch of teeth, his hard on grinding against the solid bulge in Darren’s jeans. “Fuck, yeah,” Darren says, both hands sliding down to grab at Chris’s ass and yank him forward again. “Shit. I can feel you.”

Part of Chris wants to stop. His heart is pounding and he’s turned on but also sort of terrified by the fact that they’ve only been in his dorm for about five minutes and he’s shirtless. He’s not sure if he’s about to bolt or about to throw himself at Darren. Both seem like equally viable options. 

“Chris.” Darren’s voice is softer now, and his hands are back up to a safe distance. “Hey. Is this, um... should we talk? First?” 

“Not really. No.” Chris drops his head to Darren’s shoulder, mortified. Somehow the fact that he isn’t wearing a shirt makes it so much worse, but he can’t bring himself to reach for it and put it back on. He thinks that would send a much worse message - like that he doesn’t want to do this, and he really, really does. 

Darren locks his arms around Chris and doesn’t let him move even when Chris tries to shy away. 

“I think that means yes, but you are staying right here. I like you this close.” He leans forward and kisses Chris softly. “So. Uh.” 

“Virgin,” Chris says, rolling his eyes. “I’m sure you knew that.” 

Darren just shrugs. “So have you done... anything?” 

“No.” That’s a harder admission to make. He takes a deep breath. “You’re only the second guy I’ve even kissed.” 

“It’s kind of hot, you know.” Darren traces a line between Chris’s shoulder blades with the tip of one finger. “Not the virgin part, exactly - I mean, it’s not not hot, but it’s not really a thing for me, you know? But that I get to be the one that helps you figure out what kind of things you’re into. That’s... really hot.” 

Chris knows he’s telling the truth, because Darren is a great actor but his face is too wide open right now for him to not mean any of this. Even his voice is a little deeper. Chris hates that his own just gets a little higher. He leans forward and lets his mouth touch Darren’s ear. “I want to try everything. With you.” 

Darren actually shudders and then says in a weak voice, “You can’t do that.” 

The fact that Darren isn’t holding anything back bolsters Chris’s confidence again. He reaches for Darren’s hand and guides it between them, then down. He’s only half hard after the momentary buzzkill of discussing his own innocence, but he’s stiffening again the second Darren gets with the picture and curls his fingers around the length of Chris through the thin denim. 

Darren tries one more time. “I thought we were talking.” 

“We can still talk.” Chris smiles. “We should talk about you. I know you aren’t a virgin, but have you been with many guys?” 

“Compared to g-” Darren apparently decides to abort that sentence, and finishes with just a shake of his head. “I’ve never dated a guy. Like, relationship dating. I went out with a few dates but it never went anywhere. Made out... uh, hand jobs. Gotten a few blowjobs.” 

“Never given one?” It makes Chris happy that there’s some first of Darren’s he can claim for his own. 

“I was going to once but he, uh, passed out. And then another time I was down for it but he came before I could.” The entire time they’re talking Darren is stroking and squeezing Chris through his jeans. His thumb wanders up to rub around the button. 

“That’s not very nice of him. Undo it,” Chris says, meaning the button. He’s much more comfortable with this when he’s the one guiding things. It’s not surprising, but he is glad that Darren apparently has no problems with it. He obeys immediately, and it’s not evident which one of them is more pleased about it when he pulls the zipper down, too. “So you’ve never had sex... like actual, you know...” 

“Uh, penetration? Not with a guy. Though I did anal with a girl once, and it’s kind of the same mechanics.” 

Chris can’t decide if picturing that is hot or disturbing. He decides not to linger on the thought too long. He’d rather not have any mental images preempt the actual visual of Darren’s thumb rubbing circles over the damp material of his underwear, where it stretches over the head of his cock. “I think I could come from this,” he admits, feeling his face heating up for a totally different reason. 

“I want to see you come.” Darren stops what he’s doing and leans up to kiss Chris hard on the mouth. “Can I?” 

Chris nods, breathing harder. “Touch me.” 

Darren reaches into the boxer briefs and draws Chris out. Chris watches intently as Darren starts to stroke him, dry with a little too much friction, skin catching on skin. “Do you have lube?” 

Chris nods and reaches over, fumbling to get the drawer open and grab the half-empty bottle. He hands it to Darren and shuts his eyes, not opening them again until Darren’s hand is back on him, slick and tight. 

Chris steadies himself with a breath. “In the interest of full disclosure, this is going to be over very quickly.” 

“In the interest of full disclosure,” Darren responds, “you using words like full disclosure means I must not be doing this good enough. Now shut up and kiss me.” 

Chris obeys, wrapping his arms around Darren’s neck as Darren jerks him off. It goes from nice to mind-blowingly good to bordering on too much with every twist of his hand and within minutes Chris is practically vibrating with the need to just let go. He doesn’t want this over, though - he wants this to last forever, even though he can’t even focus long enough to kiss properly, even though he can feel sweat on the back of his neck and Darren’s shoulders, even though he can hardly breathe through the intense wave after wave of pleasure- 

He lets out a long, almost pained sounding noise as he comes hard over Darren’s fist. Some of it lands on Darren’s shirt, thick sticky strings clinging to the dark blue cotton, and the rest drips over his fingers as he slows his strokes to work Chris through it. 

Darren turns his face toward Chris’s for another kiss, sweeter and lazier. “Chris, you’re beautiful,” Darren sighs. “That was fucking awesome.” 

“I think that’s my line.” Chris mumbles, feeling boneless and wonderful. 

Then he hears the lock on the door. “Shit.” He springs backward and manages to shove his cock back into his underwear just in time for his roommate to walk in. 

“Whoa,” Justin says, squinting. “Uh.” 

“Hey! Justin, right?” Darren answers back cheerfully. Chris can’t decide if he’s just got a great poker face or he really isn’t the slightest bit embarrassed that there’s still come on his hand, he’s got a pretty obvious hard on, and a shirtless boy was just on top of him. 

“Yeaaaaah,” Justin says. “You need me to, uh-” 

“Just give us five minutes,” Chris says. He barely has the words out before Justin is gone. When the door closes he drops down onto his back across the bed, covering his face with his hands. He is flushed and shaky and he’s not sure if it’s from the orgasm or the less pleasant adrenaline rush of being walked in on. “Oh my god. Please shoot me.” 

Darren laughs and then grabs Chris’s shirt to wipe his hand off. “Nope. Sorry. Can’t shoot you. That would be counterproductive to us doing that again. And we are so doing that again, fuck.” 

His voice goes a little grittier at the end and he lays besides Chris, nudging at Chris’s hips with his own so Chris can feel how he’s still hard. “He’s only going to be gone five-” Chris’s statement is cut off by Darren’s mouth on his. 

“Won’t take that long,” Darren says, rolling on top of Chris. “I swear. You don’t even have to do anything, just...” 

Chris watches in awe as Darren undoes his jeans and tugs his dick out. It’s the first time he’s seen another guy’s cock in person and he wants to touch. He wants to touch so badly but he’s not really sure how to ask and now that he’s not swept up in his own hormones he’s not quite so bold. 

Darren leans down to kiss him, moaning softly into Chris’s mouth. The distance between their bodies closes and Chris can feel Darren’s knuckles against his stomach and then just above something hotter and wetter and holy fuck that is Darren’s cock touching him.He whimpers as the realization slams into him. Darren’s grunting and sweating (wow, so much sweat) and then burying his face against Chris’s neck as he comes hot and slick all over Chris’s stomach and chest. 

“Oh... oh.” Darren pants, then manages to roll off of Chris. He still has his hand on his dick and he’s smiling like he’s dazed but blissful. 

Chris props himself up on his elbows and looks down at the mess covering his chest and stomach. “Wow.” 

“Oh... shit, sorry.” Darren sits up and grabs Chris’s t-shirt again, folding it and leaning over to wipe Chris off. “Sorry. Is that okay?”

Chris touches a finger to a spot that Darren missed, considering it. He wants to taste, but he’s not quite that bold yet. “That was really hot. Really... really, okay.” 

Darren’s jaw drops. Chris laughs, reaching up and cupping Darren’s cheek to pull him in for a kiss. Darren tosses the t-shirt to the foot of the bed and then settles into a better position, leaning over Chris and deepening the kiss. Chris allows it for a moment then pushes him away. “My roommate,” he says, reminding Darren. 

Darren pouts. “Fine.” 

Chris gets to his feet and puts a clean shirt on, wincing at how he’s still a little sticky and gross feeling under it. “I’ll be right back, I’m gonna go... clean up.” 

Darren just keeps grinning and makes himself comfortable on Chris’s bed. “Fine. Be that way. Next time I demand afterglow, though.” 

“We’ll see,” Chris teases, but he’s already floating on the idea of next time. 

* 

Justin gives them a full twenty minutes before he comes back. Chris and Darren are both fully dressed and not even on the bed anymore by the time he walks in, thanks to Darren’s reluctant admission that he probably does need to go knock out some more homework. 

Chris insists on walking Darren back to his apartment even though there’s really no need to. Neither of them are eager to say goodbye, so Darren’s arguments are token at best. 

They spend another five minutes making out in front of his door, until Joey opens the window and starts pelting them with jelly beans and catcalling. 

“Don’t go,” Darren whispers against Chris’s jaw. “Come in for a few minutes, okay? Just hang out?” 

It’s after ten and Chris’s lackluster plans of homework grow even more distant as he lets Darren lead him inside. 

Matt’s in his room and Nick is out but Joey and a couple of other guys are making a sad attempt at studying in the living room. 

“I’m gonna go change shirts,” Darren says. No one asks him why he needs to and it’s not apparently with his jacket on, for which Chris is intensely grateful. 

It does leave him alone with them, though. Joey can’t stop smirking at him and the other guys sort of just look on curiously. Then Joey says, “About time,” and holds his hand up for a high five and Chris once again realize that these people somehow form an anomalous group that honestly does not care about sexuality. 

“Want something to drink?” Darren asks when he comes back. He’s only really asking Chris but, predictably, everyone puts their order in. “Jerks.”

Chris trails behind Darren into the kitchen, where Darren promptly forgets anything about beverages and pins Chris against the counter to kiss with him some more, hands framing Chris’s face while his thumbs stroke over Chris’s cheekbones. 

That’s almost the position they’re still in when Joey walks in five minutes later. One hand has dropped down to Chris’s hip. It’s a really nice kiss, and Darren stops every minute or two to whisper even nicer and slightly dirty things in Chris’s ear. 

“Ughhhh,” Joey groans. “This is really what it’s going to be like, isn’t it?” 

Darren holds a hand up to flip him off without removing his mouth from Chris’s.

Chris is the one to break the kiss, laughing against Darren’s shoulder. “I should go.” 

“Nooooo,” Darren whines. He looks over at Joey and glares. “You’re running him off, stop it!” 

“Fuck, it was you I was trying to run off. Chris can stay.” Joey grabs a few beers out of the fridge and then nudges it back shut with his foot. 

Chris rubs his palm against Darren’s shoulder. “I really do need to go.” 

“But I don’t want you to.” Darren’s arms tighten around him. 

“Put those eyes away,” Chris chastises. It’s hopelessly endearing. Chris hadn’t really thought he could fall any harder, but somehow in that moment - and every moment - he is. “How’s your schedule tomorrow?” 

“I’m free after four. What about you?”

“Three,” Chris confirms. 

“Movie night, bitches!” Joey reminds them. “You don’t get out of it just because too busy vomiting hearts and rainbows at each other. Young love is not on the official excuse list.”

They both ignore him. 

“What do you think?” Chris asks. 

“Justin said he’ll be there all weekend anyway, so might as well.” 

“We can get dinner first,” Darren promises. “Just us. That date I promised you.” 

“I like that. Just us,” Chris echoes, smiling. He leans in to kiss Darren again, not even noticing when Joey walks away. 

* 

Chris wakes up early and by half past four on Friday he’s content that he’s done enough studying and final assignments that he can take Friday and maybe even (he thinks with hopeful optimism) Saturday before he needs to start stressing again. 

They meet in the library, where Darren whisks him into the stacks and backs him up against the wall between religion and social sciences and thoroughly kisses him. 

“Wow,” Chris says. 

“Sorry. Not sorry.” Darren doesn’t sound - or look - sorry in the least. “I’ve been thinking about doing that all day.” 

“Me, too,” Chris admits. They linger there for a few more minutes because Darren says they need to leave if Chris wants to drop his stuff off before they go out. 

He’s a little surprised. He’d sort of expected that Darren’s dinner invitation meant one of the places on campus, but apparently it does not. 

They end up back at the same place they’d gone to before Thanksgiving. “I wanted that to be a date,” Darren admits, once they’re sitting. “So I thought this could be like... a do-over.” 

“I wanted that to be a date, too,” Chris says. His stomach is doing that twisty, swirling thing it does whenever he realizes that he’s allowed to look at Darren and to say things, to want things. 

There’s a brief interlude to place drink orders and then they’re alone again. 

“So if you were interested...” Chris asks. “Why didn’t you just ask me out before? I have no experience with this, I was terrified, but you’re not exactly shy and you’ve dated plenty of people.” 

“I guess maybe it was because you hadn’t dated anyone before. I had Lauren and Mer and everyone saying how much they liked you and how they didn’t want me to drive you away by fucking around with you-” 

“Wait.” Chris interrupts him. “Are you saying I got cockblocked because some straight girls wanted to be my new hags?” 

Darren laughs. “Basically.” 

“I’ll have to send them a fruit basket,” Chris says dryly. 

“It wasn’t just them, though. Everyone likes you, Chris. You’re kind of awesome like that.” Darren’s smile is big and genuine. “Even Joey sort of had a crush on you and he’s like, ninety-five percent straight.” 

“Ninety-five?” Chris lifts an eye. “That’s a very specific number.”

“Hey, now.” Darren points his fork at Chris. “You don’t get to change your mind now. He’s off the table. You’re stuck with me.” 

Chris swears softly. “Damn. Well, I guess I’ll live.” He winks at Darren. “You’re not a bad consolation prize.” 

“Whatever gets me you,” Darren responds, reaching across the table to squeeze Chris’s hand briefly. “I wasn’t even sure you were interested, anyway.” 

“In Joey?” Chris answers as if he’s misunderstanding. “Well, I hadn’t really considered it, but-” 

“Jerk! In me. I thought... I mean, they told me you had a crush, and I guess I kinda saw it, but I asked you to come home with me on Halloween and you ended up sucking face with some other guy instead so I figured... if you had a crush by then you were probably over it and I’d missed my chance.” 

Darren shrugs and tries to play it casual though he’s obviously still a little bitter. 

“I honestly had no idea that’s what you were asking,” Chris says. He’d figured this conversation would need to happen eventually. He takes a breath and tries to steel himself to admit the things he’s never said aloud before. “No one has ever liked me before. You probably could have sent me an engraved invitation and I wouldn’t have realized.” 

When he looks up, Darren is frowning intently. 

“What?”

“That fucking sucks. It fucking sucks that you’re eighteen and no one else in your life has realized how amazing you are,” Darren says. Chris blushes. Darren seems to draw encouragement, smiling and continuing. “Because you are. And I’m kind of scared I’m going to fuck this up for you, because I’m kind of a shitty boyfriend.” 

Boyfriend. Yep. Chris still isn’t quite over this yet. But there’s something else about that worrying Chris. 

“What... what do you mean?” Chris asks. He’s envisioning Darren having cheated in past relationships, or saying that he’s not looking for something serious or he wants an open relationship. His worry must translate clearly because Darren practically scrambles to explain. He knows he might be shooting himself in the foot but he still speaks anyway. “If you just want this to be something casual, I’m not sure-”

“No, that’s just it. I don’t want casual.” This, of all things, seems to be hard for Darren to get out. It’s almost unsettling to see him stripped of his bravado. “I want to be the good boyfriend for you. If I fuck this up, I’ll be _that guy_. The first guy to... hurt you. I don’t want that. I want to be everything, okay? But I get busy and I’m kind of a jerk sometimes and I don’t always pick up on like, the subtext stuff, sometimes you just have to hit me over the head with things-” 

“I know.” Chris interrupts him. “I’ve known you for four months now. I know how you can be and I’m... prepared for it. I also have a full arsenal of things with which to beat you over the head.” 

He doesn’t go as far as to say that these are some of the things that he finds absolutely adorable, because he’s aware that with Darren’s crazy schedule and inability to focus on one thing actually directly effecting him he might not be so charmed. 

“Besides,” Chris continues. “It’s not like I don’t come with my own issues that you’ll have to deal with..”

This is probably the point at which he should delve into his own eccentricities: how he’s never had to share his life or his time with anyone before, his loner tendencies and trouble sleeping and that he doesn’t think anything, even being in love, will be enough to derail his drive and determination to make something of himself. 

But he doesn’t say any of that and the moment passes and even without it some of the weight feels lifted from him. By the time their food is placed in front of them, they’re both laughing and talking nonstop, trading stories and secrets and confessions that don’t amount to anything but leave them both flushed and smiling. 

It feels like a date and the only reason that Chris isn’t more sad when the check gets delivered is because for the past ten minutes Darren’s foot has been nudging his and he’s already had a taste of what could come next. He’s ready for more. 

*

The most refreshing change to hanging out with the group is that Chris doesn’t actually have to worry about looking like a stalker if he just follows Darren around all night long. 

But somehow knowing that he’s not going to be secretly judged for it or ‘caught’ means that he actually feels less inclined to. 

That’s sort of been the thing all alone. He’s always wanted to be as close to Darren as he can, and now he has free reign to get as close as he wants. (Because Darren wants him close, too. He grins giddily to himself.) He doesn’t have to focus so hard at sneaking in moments and knowing where the line between friendly and creepy is, so he gets to concentrate on other things for a while... and stay within viewing range of his goofy, sexy as hell boyfriend the whole time. 

And the eye candy definitely still holds the same appeal, so he does stay within viewing range... but he still talks to Lauren and Meredith about their upcoming final project, then he loses a pleasant half hour talking script writing with Matt and getting more excited about some of the ideas they’re throwing around. He gets less questions about their relationship than he’d expected, but about the same amount of teasing. Only Darren’s closest friends seem to know, and they’re shockingly good at being discreet. 

Chris is talking to a couple of people he’s only met briefly before when he feels a pair of arms slide around his waist and pull him backwards. “I’m stealing him.” Darren says it over Chris’s shoulder before tugging him backwards. 

With a helpless shrug and very little actual reluctance, Chris turns and follows Darren down the hall. 

“Sorry,” Darren says, shutting the door to his bedroom. “It’s been way too long since I kissed you, okay?” 

Chris smiles and lets Darren draw him in close. “Well, we wouldn’t want that.” 

The door flies open. “Stop stealing Chris!” Lauren says, pointing at Darren. “You are not allowed to steal Chris!” 

“Who told on me?” Darren immediately spins them around so that Chris is behind him. “Five minutes! I just wanted him for five minutes!” 

“No! I’ve seen you eat a bag of chips! You do not stop after a couple, you finish the entire bag.” Lauren waves her finger around. “And then you leave crumbs everywhere.”

“... are you comparing me to junk food?” Chris frowns. “Should I be offended? And what exactly are the crumbs in this situation?” 

“Stay out of this, babe,” Darren says. 

The ‘babe’ is distracting enough that Chris forgets his original questions. 

“That’s right. Let Mommy and Daddy work out custody issues,” Lauren says. 

“Daddy wins. End of story!” Darren nods definitely. 

Chris slaps Darren’s shoulder. “I am not calling you daddy! That’s gross.” 

“TMI!” Lauren says. “TMI!” 

“We’ll re-visit that later,” Darren says to Chris. “In private. If we get any privacy. Come on, Laur, we’ve had like _five minutes_ alone since we started dating.” 

“So! We don’t get to see him, either!” Meredith shows up behind Lauren, whining. “I miss you, Chrissy-poo.” 

“Don’t call me that. You people are so weird.” Chris says. He’s still safely behind Darren. “But he’s right.” 

“If you make us go back out there, I’m just going to make out with him in front of everyone.” Darren plays his last card. Or at least, what Chris hopes is his last card. He’s not sure he wants to know what else is in Darren’s arsenal. 

“Oh my god, why are boys so horny?” 

“Um, I’m not the one with a-” 

“Darren!” Lauren shrieks. “What did we agree about telling the vibrator story?” 

“Hm, I don’t know, what did we agree?” Darren grins smugly. 

Lauren sighs, realizing that she’s probably not going to win this one. Chris highly suspects that at this point it’s more a matter of pride than actually wanting to hang out with him anyway.

“Fine. But if you’re not back out there in half an hour, we are coming in for you.” Lauren turns and slams the door behind her, but the effect is diluted by the way they’re both laughing as they go away. 

“Finally!” Darren shout triumphantly and then drops down onto the bottom bunk. He scoots all the way against the wall and the pats the spot he’s left beside him. 

Chris hesitates. “I’m not calling you Daddy.” 

“Fiiiine,” Darren teases. “We’ll work up to it. For now you can just call me... sexy-gorgeous-oh-my-god-harder-you’re-so-good-baby-just-like-” 

Chris joins him on the bed just so he can slap a hand over Darren’s mouth and muffle the words coming out of it. But he’s laughing and it’s so warm tucked in here right next to Darren and he feels lighter than air still, like nothing could bring him down. He lets one hand rest around Darren’s stomach and cuddles in close.

Darren settles back with his head against the pillow and cups the back of Chris’s neck with his hand. Their eyes meet and there’s so much in that moment between them. Darren isn’t teasing at all anymore when he says, “Kiss me.” 

*

They get ten blissful minutes of hands under shirts and tongues in mouths and some very nice grinding going on before the door flies open again. 

Darren muffles a kiss against Chris’s stomach, where his mouth had been trailing down in a very promising direction. “Motherfucker, I should have locked that.” 

Joey is drunk and unapologetic. “Just wanted to make sure you weren’t on my bed.” 

“Why would we be-” Chris starts to ask, and then squeaks because Darren has apparently decided that Joey in the room isn’t going to stop him from mouthing at Chris through his jeans. 

“Whoa,” Joey says. “That’s like porn. That’s - that’s totally porn. I should not be watching this, and yet somehow, I am transfixed to this very spot.” 

When he says the magic p-word, people take notice. A couple more faces show up in the doorway just as Darren scrapes his teeth over the tip of Chris's cock. Chris shudders at the sudden stimulation and then quickly jerks away, shoving at Darren’s shoulders. “Stop!” 

Darren sighs, but he’d clearly been expecting it. “I hate you all,” he says, directed at the observers. Then he rolls off of Chris and crosses his arms over his chest, pouting. “Chris, I hate them all.” 

“You don’t hate me, right?” He says softly, smiling a little. 

Darren’s glare softens. “No. I don’t hate you.” He lets his thumb graze over Chris’s jawline. “Pretty sure that’s like, a universal impossibility. Me hating you. Never gonna happen.” 

“Yeah? Tell me more about that,” Chris says, nipping at Darren’s bottom lip. Darren shivers just a little and Chris feels a surge of pride, because he’s just learned that - how to make Darren do that. He wants to learn all these reactions, can’t wait until the day when he knows Darren’s body that well and doesn’t feel any nerves from trying out these things. 

From across the room, Joey cooes at them. They both ignore him. 

“I’ll tell you whatever you want to know, baby.” Darren presses their foreheads together, his curls tickling over Chris’s skin. “I’m an open book.” 

It only takes the slightest tilt of his head for Chris to bring their mouths together. He doesn’t actually have any questions... in this moment, he knows everything he needs to know. But he’s still looking forward to what the next page will bring.

**Author's Note:**

> I'd offer to put Mav on payroll for hand-holding and cheerleading, but the benefits are kind of crappy. Porn, basically. The benefits are porn. The pay is also porn.


End file.
